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Mahakumbh on a different note: Rare musical instruments from across country wow visitors

By, Prayagraj
Feb 04, 2025 09:10 PM IST

Endangered musical instruments like Rashan Chowki, Purni Baja, Tubki, Dhol Piphi, Naradi Mridang and Santhali Manar can be seen in the exhibition which will continue till February 26

A unique display of rare musical instruments from far corners of the country is attracting pilgrims and tourists alike at Mahakumbh-2025.

Rare and under threat Musical instruments in display at Mahakumbh (HT Photo)
Rare and under threat Musical instruments in display at Mahakumbh (HT Photo)

The exhibition of dozens of such rarely seen and even more rarely heard instruments from states like Manipur, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Gujarat among others is being held in Sector 7 of the sprawling Mahakumbh Nagar by Tribal and Folk Art Culture Institute of Lucknow, functioning under Uttar Pradesh’s Department of Culture.

Endangered musical instruments like Rashan Chowki, Purni Baja, Tubki, Dhol Piphi, Naradi Mridang and Santhali Manar can be seen in the exhibition which began on January 16 and will continue till February 26.

Each of the instruments displayed has a QR code affixed next to it, scanning of which allows visitors to get detailed information of the particular instrument on his smart phone, officials said.

Many of these instruments on display, including those from states like Sikkim, West Bengal and Bihar etc, are on the verge of extinction.

“More than 50 of the 251 musical instruments have been brought here for display from the collections of Himalaya World Museum of Sikkim, Dooars Folk and Tribal Art Museum-Lataguri of West Bengal, Vaidehi Kala Sangrahalay , Saharsa of Bihar as well as from the private collection of Sanju Sen, a young musician from Balod district of Chhattisgarh, which are on the verge of extinction today,” said the curator of the exhibition, prof Om Prakash Bharti.

Visitors can get to catch a glimpse of instruments like Khanjheri, which in older times when the Dhol was not even invented, was created out of the skin of a monitor lizard. People in the interior villages of Chattisgarh still use this instrument during bhajans.

An instrument called Khadpadhi is generally put around the neck of a cow to know about the movement of the animal. The instrument is still used in villages and can be viewed in the exhibition. Similarly, Turhi is another type of instrument which is played by blowing. Earlier, it was made of horns of animals but now it is made of a composition of two metals—brass and copper. This instrument has a high-pitched sound, and was played during hunting earlier. It too is on display.

Dhankul is another musical instrument of Chattisgarh put on display which is put together by using five things: A huge pot, a bow and a traditional cane window used by Halba tribes on their festive occasions.

According to prof Bharti, more than 3,000 musical instruments have been in use in India over the years. About 600 of these musical instruments are on the verge of extinction. In India today, the evidence of instruments ranging from one string (Ektara, Pena and Bena) to hundred strings (Rabab) is found. In the true sense, the journey from one string to hundred strings reflects the intellectual and cultural progress of Indian society.

In just the Varna Ratnakara (Ocean of description), the oldest prose work of Maithili language, written in 1324 CE by the Maithili scholar, priest and poet Jyotirishwar Thakur, 24 different types of Veena are mentioned, he said.

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